Over the air television, which is also referred to as terrestrial television or broadcast television, is a distribution mode for television content via radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves or radiation through the atmosphere. Some examples of well known television networks in the United States that broadcast over the air content are ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS. Through a series of affiliate stations, these networks are able to blanket the country with broadcasted content. The result is that each one of these television networks is able to reach over 95% of all the households in the United States.
Television networks are always looking for ways to attract new customers and increase viewership. Recently, some television networks have been putting their programming online for people to access via private and public data networks such as the Internet. Typically, the television networks will upload content to their website or some other third party website, such as HULU.COM, that stream the content to users, sometimes for a fee. Today, the content that is available is often limited; sometimes, the most recent episodes are not available or the content is outdated.
At the same time, a wide variety of devices are available that can play audio and video content. In addition to the ubiquitous television, many now watch video on their personal computers and mobile computing devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers. Video content is usually accessed through the Internet using subscriber data networks, cellular phone networks, and public and private wireless data networks. Moreover, some televisions now have network connections. And, many game consoles have the ability to access video content using third-party software such as provided by Netflix, Inc.